A snow plow works to keep a city street clean in Bridgeport, Conn.,...

Roads in Bridgeport, Conn. remain congested with snow Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013 following a weekend storm that dumped up to 3 feet across the state. A Facebook page asking for Mayor Bill FinchâÄôs resignation has launched.

Christian Centano, 16, shovels out a car in the parking lot at the Charles F. Greene Homes housing project in Bridgeport, Conn. on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. Residents are frustrated about the lack of snow removal at both the complex and adjacent Highland Avenue.

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While still fielding complaints Wednesday about the city's handling of the blizzard that buried Bridgeport, the mayor was taking no chances with the latest winter storm.

At mid-afternoon Wednesday, Mayor Bill Finch declared a snow emergency for 5 p.m. that evening requiring residents to move their cars from certain posted streets and comply with alternate side parking rules along other routes to make way for the plows.

With 3 to 6 inches of snow in the forecast, compared to the 30 inches that crippled Bridgeport Feb. 8 and 9, some saw an administration trying to improve its image.

"That's an overreaction -- seriously," said Marianne Papastavros, one of numerous residents who lambasted Finch and his public works staff last month for taking days to dig the city out. "He's trying to make up for the bad publicity."

But Maria Pires, another vocal critic of the Finch administration's handling of the blizzard, said she understood why City Hall was being more proactive.

"He's the one who got the brunt of the complaints," Pires said. "I don't think they're overreacting. He's playing it safe, which is good for him."

Finch in February blamed the difficulties Bridgeport had in plowing the streets following the blizzard on "yahoos" who left snow-covered vehicles to block the plows rather than moving them to the 20 public lots reserved for the emergency.

This time, said Finch spokeswoman Elaine Ficarra, "We decided it best to err on the side of caution and safety."

As of Wednesday evening, the Danbury-based Connecticut Weather Center, one of the city's main sources for forecasts, was predicting 24 hours of sloppy weather.

Rain was expected to change to wet snow overnight, with between 1 to 3 inches of accumulation Thursday.

Occasional snowfall mixed with rain Thursday into Friday could increase the total precipitation to 6 inches.

Finch waited until 5 p.m. on Feb. 8 to enact a snow emergency, even though snow was steadily falling by early that morning.

Stamford, meanwhile, had declared a snow emergency at 5 p.m. the night before and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was telling nonessential state workers to stay home Feb. 8.

As of early afternoon Wednesday, Finch, in an interview at 1:45 p.m. following his weekly lunch meeting with constituents, said he was not going to initiate emergency parking rules. He said the city's plows were ready and some roads had been pre-treated to make snow removal easier.

"We haven't declared it (an emergency) and we probably won't have to because the amounts are not going to be that great.," Finch said.

Twenty minutes later, his office reversed course and announced an emergency was in effect for 5 p.m.

In contrast, by Wednesday evening Stamford had not declared an emergency and Malloy's office had released a full schedule for Thursday, including speaking engagements and a news conference on school breakfast programs.

But Bridgeport apparently can't be too careful. During the blizzard debacle in February, the city engaged private towing contractors to seize 400 snowbound vehicles.

Owners had to pay around $74,000 in related fees -- $75 parking tickets to the city and at minimum $110 bills to wrecking companies.

Since then, some citizens have demanded they be reimbursed. They claim the city had not adequately informed them of the parking rules.

One of them, Bertin Longwa, of North Avenue, attended Wednesday's lunch with Finch to ask why his appeal of his $75 parking ticket was rejected.

The mayor apologized for the fine, saying he understands finances are tight.